- 11 days/9 nights/16 meals
- Group transfers on arrival and departure
- Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
- Services of a professional Irish tour director
- Deluxe & superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 9 nights
- 9 full Irish breakfasts (B)
- 7 dinners (D) including: Traditional Irish evening with dinner and entertainment at the Abbey Tavern, Farewell dinner at Dunboyne Castle Hotel, 5 table d'hote dinners
- Welcome get-together drink
- Day tour to Inis Mor, largest of the three Aran Islands
- "The Quiet Man" walking tour of Cong
- Ferry ride across the River Shannon
- Horse-drawn jaunting car ride in Killarney
- Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, Boyne Valley Visitor Centre & Newgrange or Knowth Tomb, Clonmacnoise, Dun Aengus Fort, Aran Heritage Centre, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Cliffs of Moher, Muckross House & Gardens, Blasket Centre and Rock of Cashel
- Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
- All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
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Deluxe & Superior First Class Hotels - 11 Day Coach Tour
From the 5000 year old megalitic tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, the 545 AD settlement of Clonmacnoise, up to Ireland of today. Experience the feeling of the passage of time moving through some of the golden moments of Irish history.
Day 1: Depart U.S. for Dublin
Take an overnight flight across the Atlantic and relax as you start your vacation.
Day 2: Dublin Arrival & Highlights
Arrive in Dublin Airport , complete immigration formalities and pick up your luggage. Go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later, you will need to transfer to the hotel at your own expense. In the afternoon discover the delights of central Dublin . Stop at Dublin Castle for a guided tour around the State Apartments, stately chambers where many historic events have been held. Return to your hotel to enjoy a welcome drink and discuss your itinerary with your tour director and fellow travelers. The evening is at leisure for independent dining.
Day 3: Megalithic Tomb & Abbey Tavern
Travel north from Dublin to the Boyne Valley. Stop at the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the nearby passage burial tombs of Newgrang e and Knowth, both of which are over 5,000 years old. Visit one of the tombs to see how people using primitive tools managed to align these buildings precisely with the sun or the moon. Return to Dublin where the afternoon is at leisure for further sightseeing or shopping. In the evening drive to Howth to the Abbey Tavern. Enjoy a great dinner of Irish specialties, which is followed by a lively show of traditional Irish songs and intricate step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 4: Clonmacnoise & Galway
Leave Dublin and journey across the rolling pastures of Ireland's heartland to visit Clonmacnoise . This monastic settlement was founded in 545 AD by St. Ciaran and was an important center of learning. See highly decorated high crosses, round towers and church ruins, all set on the banks of the tranquil River Shannon . Continue to Galway and drive around the main sights of the city before checking into your hotel, located near Eyre Square. Enjoy some free time to browse around the city center on your own. Galway has many pedestrianized streets and lots of fun specialty stores and pubs. After dinner you may like to explore some of the great pubs where live traditional music is played. (B, D)
Day 5: Aran Islands & Dun Aengus
Take a short ferry ride from Rossaveal to Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands . These rocky islands are renowned for the hardy islanders who maintained traditional fishing and farming methods and where the popular intricately-patterned fishermen's sweaters originated. The Irish language is still spoken widely. Take a minibus ride to Dun Aengus , a huge pre-historic fortress perched on sheer cliffs, which fall away to the Atlantic below. In Kilronan, the main town, visit the Aran Heritage Centre to learn about unique local customs before returning by ferry to the mainland. Enjoy dinner in your hotel in Galway. (B, D)
Day 6: Quiet Man Tour & Connemara Crystal
Drive through Headford to Cong, a charming village that was the location for the 1952 movie, "The Quiet Man." A short walking tour will show you movie locations and the ruins of Cong Abbey. End at the Quiet Man cottage where you can see movie memorabilia. Travel through the scenic region of Connemara to see gentle hills and shimmering lakes. Sheep roam the hills and some people still cut peat for home heating. In Moycullen visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, which specializes in intricate designs in colored crystal, before returning to Galway, where you will have some leisure time in the afternoon. (B, D)
Day 7: Cliffs of Moher & Killarney
Drive south through the outskirts of Galway and around Galway Bay . Travel through part of the Burren , a unique region of limestone hills, on the way to the County Clare coast to view the Cliffs of Moher . This impressive wall of rock rises almost 700 feet above the Atlantic breakers and you can see the Aran Islands on a clear day. Visit the recently-opened Visitor Centre where the geology of the region is explained. Continue your journey south to take a short ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary and into the mountainous County Kerry . Travel to Killarney , which is famous for its glorious setting beside lakes with Ireland's highest mountains in the background. Your hotel is set in the center of the town and has wonderful leisure facilities which you may like to use before dinner. (B, D)
Day 8: Jaunting Car Ride & Muckross House
Take a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to view lakes and mountains on the way to Muckross House & Gardens . Tour the delightful 19th century furnished mansion on the shores of Muckross Lake while the guide tells you about the influential owners and visitors. Take a walk around the charming gardens. Drive to the charming town of Kenmare where traditional buildings are gaily painted and enhanced with flowers. Drive up through Moll's Gap, a wonderful vantage point on the Ring of Kerry and stop at Ladies' View before returning to Killarney. This evening you are free to sample some of Killarney's many restaurants and pubs. (B)
Day 9: Dingle Peninsula Tour
Today discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula , made famous by David Lean's movie, "Ryan's Daughter." Drive along the south shore and stop to admire views of heathery mountains, sandy stretches of beach and rocky headlands. Stop for a while to look around the town of Dingle before continuing to the western tip of the peninsula. Tour the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the Blasket Islands , inhabited until 1953 by hardy families who eked out a living by farming and fishing. Return to Killarney and enjoy some free time before dinner in your hotel. (B, D)
Day 10: Rock of Cashel & Dunboyne Castle
Head north through rich dairying country to visit the Rock of Cashel , a stately limestone outcrop topped with medieval ruins. See the roofless cathedral, round tower and Cormac's Chapel, which is the earliest building on the site, dating from 1127. Continue your drive through farming country and marketing towns to the village of Dunboyne, just to the north west of Dublin , where your delightful hotel is located. Arrive in time to enjoy some of the facilities and relax in elegant surroundings. Enjoy a farewell dinner with your travel companions this evening. (B, D)
Day 11: Dublin Departure
Complimentary group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6.00am, 9.00am or 12.00 noon. After check-in, you'll have time to shop at the duty-free stores before U.S. Immigration pre-clearance and boarding your flight for the journey home. (B)
B=Breakfast, CB=Continental Breakfast, D=Dinner
Hotels on this trip
- Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
- Radisson SAS Hotel, Galway (3 nights)
- The Malton, Killarney (3 nights)
- Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Dunboyne (1 night)
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